Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller can see that his squad will have an advantage over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean the Bavarians will be looking past the 35th placed team (entering the match day).
“The situation is clear: Bratislava have not got a point. We are the favourites when we play at the Allianz Arena and expect nothing but a win from ourselves. Nevertheless, we have respect for our opponents and that is how we’ll approach the game tomorrow,” Müller said ( as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “I’ve experienced all kinds of situations in my career. In recent years we’ve always advanced through the group phase and then we were always out before the final. And this year we’re doing it the other way round (laughs). Results aren’t always a reflection of the way we play. We know what’s at stake, we want to win the game and then we’ll see what place we finish the league phase in and what happens next.”
“We’ve prepared for the game. Of course, that also applies to all possibilities. The chances of getting into the top 8 are not big, but there’s a small one. We want to do everything we can to achieve that. The main focus is to play a good game. In football, anything is possible.”
While head coach Vincent Kompany stated that Manuel Neuer would be good to start the game, Müller was asked about the possibility of youngster Max Schmitt starting for the injured goalkeeper. Müller did not seem to be fretting the possibility of the 18-year-old playing in the Champions League.
“Max is always fully involved. He’s from Bavaria, he knows what the club is all about. He’s also already had title experience with the youth national team. It’s always something special to play your first game. If that happens, he’ll play a good game,” Müller said.
Finally, Müller was asked about Joshua Kimmich’s recent statement that Bayern Munich is not exactly a powerhouse in Europe these days. Müller had a great response.
“When you look at the table, I know what Josh means. The nice thing about football is that you don’t have to be a top team in January, but in May. But of course you also have to be top on the way there,” said Müller. “That has to develop over the next few months based on feeling. The club is giving me a lot of freedom and then we’ll see how it goes. Things are just not clear yet.”
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